My Love is Like a Coin
by Xazz
Summary: After nearly drowning Altair is rescued by a mermaid, he can't stop thinking about it. -complete-
1. Chapter 1

Currently I'm taking fic requests over on my blog (myantiquehabibi over on Tumblr). This is one of them.

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He couldn't swim. He was also five years old so it was understandable that he couldn't swim. Altair had been down at the docks with his parents, his father was talking with a captain of a ship while his mother bought their dinner of fish for the night, and he'd been looking over the side because he could see fish. His papa had said not to get underfoot of the adults while he talked with the captain, so he stood out of the way on the dock. He'd quickly been captivated by some of the brightly colored fish that swam under the dock and looked no bigger then his palm. They were white with thick, vertical, black, stripes on it's body. And there were some silver ones too.

Then someone had bumped into him from behind. Someone wasn't looking where they were going and he went head over feet into the ocean with a cry and a splash. He grabbed for air but couldn't find any and his first (stupid) instinct was to cry out. He inhaled sea water and immediately tried to cough, which just making him swallow more water.

For a second he managed to breach the surface and there was crowd of people looking down at him and he could see his father's face. "Altair!" he heard him yell and could see his reaching hand through the film of water over his eyes. But then he went under again and he heard someone yell again, probably his father, probably his name.

He couldn't breathe and couldn't swim and he was sinking, his lungs full of water, when something suddenly _grabbed him_ from beneath. In a daze, half drowned, he thought he saw a black face with small white marks on the cheeks, and black eyes. With one arm around his waist they opened their mouth and it was filled with a million sharp, pointed, teeth, and they pressed against his mouth and inhaled.

He had the strange sensation of having the water sucked out of his lungs and when they were empty he felt like he was going to die because he _really _couldn't breathe. But then his head was above the surface and he was coughing and gasping and crying.

"Altair!" he heard his papa cry and he was moving through the water without moving himself and then two strong arms were lifting him up out of the water and he was still crying. There were a lot of people yelling and talking all at once and he just clung to his papa's chest. He coughed again and looked at the water under the dock, there was nothing there, and then he saw a long, black shadow flash through the water and out of sight.

—

Altair had been coming to the docks every day for the past ten years. Every day, without fail, as close to the same time as he could, usually before dinner, when the docks were quieter. He fingered the coin he normally would drop into the water, or sometimes a pearl. His father ran a jewelry store, he was his apprentice, and sometimes pearls got cracked during the grinding or cleaning process. They were _still good pearls_, they just couldn't be used for the quality of work his father worked at. He was a master and known for his quality. Nothing but perfection would do.

The days he couldn't get pearls he used coins. All the stories said mermaids liked shiny things, so they were always shiny coins. And it was also said they liked pearls and decorated everything with them, so when he could; pearls, since mermaids probably had no use for coins. That was if mermaids were even real. They were just stories, mostly legends. Reports of them were infrequent to non existent. Still, Altair knew.

He knew because he'd been saved by one when he'd fallen off these docks ten years ago. He'd since learned how to swim, to help his father dive for pearls, and against his father's orders even swam in the harbor. That was dangerous though since a boat could run over him. He still did though, usually to check just below where he was standing now (the spot where he'd fallen a decade ago) to see if his coins or pearls were there. They never were. All he ever found was a silty bottom, even when he dug into the muck. No coins. No pearls. Ever. Even when he checked within the span of a few hours. Nothing.

He pocketed the coin and sat on the wooden dock. "I know you're there," he said to the dark harbor water. "Maybe you can even understand me, I don't know. I hope you can. I wanted to say thanks… again," this wasn't the first time he'd sat here on the docks and seemingly talked to no one. It was why he came later in the day, when not so many people were around, so they wouldn't stare at him and wonder what Umar's son was doing there talking to himself like a lunatic. His family had a reputation after all. "And thought you might like something else, not a coin or a pearl. I bet you have a lot of the latter, nicer ones then I leave you, and more useless coins then you know what to do with."

With that he pulled out a ring. He'd made it out of silver because it didn't tarnish easily. It was just from some old coins they had around the house, ones that were out of date and would be melted down at the bank anyway. He'd melted them and turned them into wires and then braided them and made a loop that could fit his index finger. He was just sort of guessing at the diameter, wasn't like he could _ask them_ after all. He felt kinda dumb doing this but before he could regret it he dropped it in the water. "Hope it fits," he said as it hit the water.

He waited, he wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was waiting for, but he was waiting anyway. Nothing happened and he had to get going. His mother would start to get worried about him if he wasn't home for dinner. "Well that was dumb," he muttered to himself and sighed, rubbing his face.

When he pulled his hand away he almost fell off the dock in surprise. In front of him, with just the top of their head above water, was a mermaid. No. Not just a mermaid. _His_ mermaid. The one with black skin and he could just make out the markings on their cheeks. He stared at them, surprised at how different they looked compared to his memory. But then that memory was ten years old and tainted by panic, but still. They were bald and he thought they'd been younger, but no, they looked like a man in his mid twenties. And his eyes were black. The black like a shark's were black, and made him swallow. Those were the eyes of things that_ were not_ _friendly_.

"Hello," he said, voice cracking. They stared at him. "Uh…" awkward much.

Then they lifted their head fully out of the water, "You're not scared," he said and Altair was struck by his voice. It was so… inhuman. Long and low and washed out, how a voice could be washed out he didn't know, but theirs was. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end. He shook his head. "You should be," they said.

He furrowed his brow, "That seems silly to be afraid of the person who saved me," he said.

"I was going to eat you," and he paled, because they said it so bluntly.

"You… what?"

"I. Was. Going. To. Eat. You," he said, staring at Altair. He swallowed.

"Why didn't you?"

The mermaid blinked, "I don't know," he seemed confused by himself.

"You… eat people?" he swallowed.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why do you eat cows?"

"Because they… oh," and he was sure he was deathly white.

The mermaid held up the braided silver ring to examine it and look at Altair through the loop. Then he took off a necklace Altair hadn't seen because it was under water, and put the ring through it. He saw, to his surprise, that the necklace was _made_ of coins with a hole drilled through the top. All the coins he'd brought. The ring clattered against the coins and then vanished under the water. The mermaid looked at him with his alien black eyes and grinned, his mouth was full of teeth like needles, twice as many as a human had in their mouth. "Do I scare you now?" he asked, still smiling.

"A bit," he confessed.

"Good," and then he vanished under the water.

Altair skipped going to the docks for an entire week before going back.

—

He saw the mermaid a few more times after that. Never like the first time though. A dark shadow in the water, or a splash that was too big to be a fish, or a fin rising up from the harbor briefly. Never anything much, and not often, but he went back, every day, because he wanted to see. He usually brought coins now, because he didn't crack pearls anymore since he was older. He brought lots of different ones. Ones from other cities and other countries when he could, ones that were different values and weighed different amounts. Sometimes he brought other tokens, a ring, or a pendant he could wear on his necklace. Small things his father wouldn't notice he made and wouldn't ask where they went.

One day he went to the dock closer to dark then not. There was no one around and he thought he saw something at his usual spot. He realized that he _did_ see something. He bent down and picked it up. It was a necklace made entirely out of raw black pearls, each pearl carved with geometric and organic designs, and at the middle was a piece of flat, white, rock with a jelly fish carved on it. He smiled to himself and put it on. He'd been coming here almost fifteen years and this was the first time he'd ever gotten something in return from his mermaid.

He dropped a big gold coin into the water, he'd brought a shiny bronze one to do so, but he decided to drop the gold one in instead. He'd never given the mermaid gold before. His father would be so angry with him when he had to say he 'lost' it. Worth it. Then he said his thanks, though got no response, and left, tucking his new necklace under his shirt as he went.

—

He turned the coin over and over again in his fingers as he sat on the docks. He was hoping his mermaid came today. Today wouldm, potentially, be the last day he'd ever come here. He was going to marry someone in another city, one inland. The girl was nice, he'd met her once or twice, and her father was friends with his father, though had nowhere near the reputation. His father made jewelry for kings and nobles. Her father made them for the wealthy merchants and lower nobles. But the old men were friends, and Altair was almost twenty-five. He needed to get married.

"Please be here, I want to see you," he said, squeezing his eyes closed as he gripped the coin, and then dropped the coin into the water. He opened his eyes, confused, when he didn't hear a splash. Instead his mermaid was there, hand in a fist around the coin, having caught it before it hit the water. He smiled. "You're here," he said. They just looked at him with their black eyes. "I… came to say goodbye," he swallowed.

"Goodbye?" they asked and like the first time their voice made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I'm leaving, to get married."

"What is married?"

"Uhm… well," he said awkwardly. "It's where a man and a woman live together, I suppose, with a promise to not live with other men or women."

The mermaid cocked his head at him, "That's dumb," he said and Altair snorted.

"But… yeah," he said awkwardly. "I came to say goodbye, because I won't be able to come here anymore."

"Ever?" he asked, and it sounded like he was disappointed.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. "I might come back, my parents are still here," he shrugged. The mermaid looked at the coin in his hand and then tugged at something below the water line, something he couldn't see. He didn't wear a necklace made of coins anymore, he was sort of upset by that actually. Then he stared at what his mermaid pulled from the water. It was a long string, maybe as long as Altair was tall, of coins. They coiled the coins around his wrist before tugging it off and offering it to him. "What? No, those are yours," he protested.

"I'll come back for them," his mermaid said. "Just be sure to come give them to me." Altair swallowed and nodded before taking the great string of coins. Twenty years worth of coins. A life time worth of coins. He knew they _all_ couldn't be here. Some would have corroded or fallen off at some point. But the string was still impressive. Then the mermaid pulled out the big gold coin Altair had given him once, it was on a thong along with the rings Altair had made, the string wrapped around the coin instead of through it, "I'll keep these," and with one hand he pierced the soft silver coin he'd brought today with a finger ending in a claw and put it on the string with the rings and gold coin. Then he put them back under water, seeming to wrap it around something below him.

"Okay," Altair said.

His mermaid smiled, all teeth like before, but it was a nice smile this time. "I'll see you later," and then he vanished under the water, just like he had the last time.

—

The docks had changed since the last time he'd been there. Even the last time he'd been there the docks had been old and crumbling. A new jetty had been added to his usual spot now, and all the wood new, though still a bit old. It had been five years since he'd been here, but his feet remembered the way, even if his spot was gone now. The long string of coins was in his bag at his side along with several pieces for his master work he'd come to show his father, so finally he could get his master's chain.

It might have just been an excuse to come back here. His wife was pregnant with their second child, but he'd spent _twenty years_ coming to this spot. He'd have been lying if he said he didn't think about his mermaid during that time, or while he was away, because he did.

He stood in front of the water and pulled out the long string of coins. He'd since restrung it on wire, and made it a double string, and sealed it, so it'd last longer, even in the salt water. He'd taken good care of it over the years, and hadn't told anyone about it, though his wife had asked. Altair didn't want to tell her, since mermaids weren't real. Not _really_.

He stood on the dock for a long time, till it got dark and the harbor master had someone light the lamps. If he dropped this into the water and _they weren't there_ what was he going to do? He rubbed his beard with a sigh before deciding he just had to do it. He had to give it back, like he'd promised. Altair held the string out over the water to let them drop.

A hand suddenly lashed out and caught his wrist before he could drop them. "The hell?" he started, nearly dropping them anyway, and turned to who had grabbed him. "Who are you?" he asked the man who'd stopped him.

"I thought I'd save you the trouble is all," they said and he felt his face go slack. "Thanks for keeping them safe," he said, and grinned at him a little and he saw a hint of teeth, long and thin and pointed. _His mermaid_. "Surprised to see me?" he asked.

Altair just blinked stupidly at him, "You can do that?" was the first thing out of his mouth.

"I can do a lot of things," they said. "Including this," and then Altair was being kissed and that was just… wonderful actually. "My name is Malik," he said when they came up for air, "I was very lonely without you."

Altair didn't _even know what to say to that_. He'd basically just been confessed to _by a mermaid_. A mermaid who right now wasn't a mermaid but a really attractive man with black hair and dark eyes (though nowhere as dark as when he was in the water) and skin the color of coffee and milk. "I have a wife," he heard himself say dumbly and wow he sounded _really stupid_.

"So?" Malik asked him, "I don't mind sharing," and Altair flushed. "Just done go away again," and he reached out and cupped Altair's cheek. Altair closed his eyes. He could make this work. He would _make_ this work.

-fin-


	2. Chapter 3

Taking requests on my blog again because I enjoy requests. People love the shit out this AU omfg

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Everyone knew that the city was bad hunting grounds. And when Malik said everyone, he literally meant _everyone, _the fish were small and not much to see but muck and the underside of boats. Even he knew that, but he also knew that because the others didn't hunt here sometimes he could find interesting things here, which was why he was here today. There were a lot of people here too, and mermaids were wary of humans. With good reason! They'd drag you on land or kill you as soon as they'd look at you, or that was what everyone said at least.

Malik didn't like humans. Well, he liked to _eat_ humans, but that was different. They were treats really, too dangerous to hunt, as mermaids were fragile, with thin bones, and while they were easily the deadliest predators in the sea they were like jellyfish, they had a sharp sting, but you find the soft spot and they were dead. Thankfully only the largest of sharks hunted mermaids, and only when they were alone. They were the only things that could hurt them, that and humans of course. So it was best to just stay away from them.

He felt it before he heard it, and he heard it before he saw it; a splash.

He twisted in the water, he was down in the muck, digging for things the humans had dropped, deep enough so no one would see him. A hundred feet away, floundering, he saw a human pup. They flailed in the water, grabbing at the surface. An easy meal, a delicious one too. Malik hadn't had human flesh in several months since a boat had sunk in a storm, and had not had child flesh in decades. They were usually kept safe from the deep water.

Not this one though. Above he could hear the adults, they'd act soon, he had to move faster. His long, eel-like, tail flashed and he shot through the water. He didn't rise too far up and grabbed the human pup by the ankle, pulling them down from the surface that was their life. He turned the child to him and saw their fear, saw their death. They were just a little thing, only about as big as his torso, with pretty amber eyes. They reminded him of his own brother, though he was much older now.

He decided he wasn't hungry now, instead he took the pup and pressed their mouths together. They were full of water and he just sucked it right out of them. The water was extra rich in oxygen from being in the pup's lungs. The stupid thing almost gasped for breath before he pushed him to the surface again. Malik heard them gasp and cough and someone yelled, above water, it sounded like a name, 'Altary'? Something like that. He kept his hand on the pup's stomach so he didn't sink and pushed him over to the dock.

The weight shifted and Malik jerked his hand back when the pup was lifted up out of the water. He sank down into the into the muck and silt, staring up at the surface where the dock cast a shadow on the water. The humans talked and Malik could hear the little human pup crying still, it reminded him of his brother again and instinct made him want to check, make sure he was okay, even though it was ridiculous! It was just a human. Just a little human though, and not all humans had to be food. He slowly neared the surface, looking up through the rippling and could see the wet little whelp in the arms of a much _larger_ human who looked very capable of hurting Malik.

He frowned and knew it was time to leave. The docks weren't good hunting grounds anyway. He darted away from the scene, slipping under a boat as he went.

—

It was a special time. Malik didn't even pretend it wasn't. He'd learned, quite some time ago actually (he wasn't quite sure how long ago, it had been so many storm seasons they'd all sort of just blurred together now), that at this time was when he got a gift. Always something small, but he liked them, and the others he lived with were jealous of them.

He was sitting in the silt on the bottom of the harbor, waiting. Mermaids did not have a concept of time like humans did. For him it was simply 'day' and there was the passage of days and nights and moons and storm seasons and the reef seeding. But there was not 'hours' or 'after noon', which he knew humans used because humans talked and mermaids listened

Some humans were better then others. Like his human. His cute little pup of a human he'd saved from the water (though the thought to him was silly). Malik was glad he chose not to eat the pup that day, though now he couldn't remember _why_ he chose not to. Mermaids didn't have long memories, they were rather short concerning most things unless they developed into habits, and coming to the docks had become a habit.

He looked up intently when a familiar shadow fell across the water. Malik pushed himself out of the muck, his long string of coins that coiled around his entire body pressing against his black flesh. This was why he came every day, why coming to the docks had become a habit. Because he got coins. Metal was rare to mermaids, but they were valuable, and beautiful and they were shiny and came in colors you didn't see in the water. Sometimes the pup, who didn't look much like a pup anymore, brought pearls. He was disappointed in the pearls, because _he_ could get pearls. He wanted coins. Malik usually traded or gave the pearls away, he kept the coins for himself.

He settled just under the water, hidden by the dock. The pup, really he wasn't a pup he had to stop calling him that, suddenly said; "I know you're there." Malik had no illusions they were talking to him, They knew Malik was there, because his coins and pearls were always gone. "Maybe you can even understand me," simpleton. _Of course_ Malik could understand him, it was he who wouldn't be able to understand Malik if he decided to speak his native tongue. "I hope you can. I wanted to say thanks… again," he smiled privately. He enjoyed the gratitude, since he didn't get it often "And I thought you might like something else, not a coin, or a pearl," he perked up at that. "I bet you have a lot of the latter, nicer ones then I leave you," no shit, "and more useless coins then you know what to do with," except Malik _liked_ the coins. No one had coins like Malik had coins, even when ships sank and there _were_ coins, never in the quantity Malik had. A mermaid might be lucky to get five at most, Malik had strings of them, wrapped around his neck and waist in a long line, and they jingled softly when he swam.

"Hope it fits," his human said and he looked up as whatever the not-coin-not-pearl hit the water with a soft 'thunk'. Malik waited until it had sunk down to him before plucking it out of the water. It was a ring of shiny silver, like some of his coins. It was beautiful, he'd never seen anything like it. He looked towards the surface and slowly rose up to it. Malik was well behaved, he knew how to show gratitude at the least.

His head breached the surface and for the first time in many storm seasons he saw his human properly without the distortion of the surface. He was older now. Funny. It hadn't been _that_ many storm seasons for him to grow so much. Then he remembered mermaids grew slower then humans did. He had his hands covering his face, "Well that was dumb," they sighed, rubbing their face.

Malik lifted his head a bit more out of the water to hear better, it was painfully hard to hear out of the water and he felt deaf, and they pulled their hands from their face and stared. Malik stared back. Their eyes were _bright_ amber and Malik didn't want to look away, it was like looking into eyes that held copper coins. He realized after a moment he was staring openly, but didn't check himself, as the not-a-pup seemed wary.

"Hello," their voice cracked, he said nothing, "Uh…"

Malik blinked at them, they hadn't run away. Usually, when people saw them, they ran, or attacked mermaids. They were scary to humans, monsters, man eaters. This one was neither, he seemed shy if anything. He lifted his head fully from the water to speak, "You're not scared," he was confused, but intrigued. He frowned a little when they shook their head, "You should be," just like Malik was slightly afraid of him. If they wanted to his human could call other humans and they could come with nets and spears and catch him, or kill him.

"That seems silly," he was pulled from his musing, "to be afraid of the person who saved you."

"I was going to eat you," he said matter of factly, seeing no reason to lie. He was. He was glad he hadn't now, but he _had_ been planning on eating the human all those storm seasons ago.

"You… what?" now they looked a bit scared.

"I. Was. Going. To. Eat. You," he said bluntly, he didn't have what humans called tact, he didn't even know what the word was. Mermaids were blunt, to the point, and didn't lie. They had no reason to lie.

"Why didn't you?" his human asked softly.

"I don't know," he confessed, he'd forgotten.

"You… eat people?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Malik almost rolled his eyes, "Why do you eat cows?" honestly. Maybe his human was stupider then he thought.

"Because they… oh," okay not _that_ stupid. He just had to have it spelled out for him. Typical.

With a slight roll of his eyes Malik looked away from his human, he needed to get going, someone else was going to see him, someone he didn't _want_ to see him. He looked at the ring in his palm under the water, he didn't want to lose this, it was special. He reached back and undid the clasp on his necklace, fitting the ring on it, he'd do something else with it later. The human was still staring at him, stunned and now with an entire edge to him. Malik smiled a wide, cheerful, smile, showing off a lot of his teeth, "Do I scare you now?" he asked the boy.

A moment's hesitation, "A bit," they said and swallowed.

"Good," yes, good. That was good, right? He tried not to think about it as he ducked under the water, he didn't _want_ his human to be scared of him. Humans were already scared of them. He tried not to be upset or worried when his human didn't visit for several days, even when he stayed there for hours, his long tail coiled around one of the pillars, waiting.

—

Malik lay half coiled in his sea cave, working. The cave mouth opened at the top but his eye sight was sharp enough to see in color even at night time. It was a cave for one, and he'd lived here since his mother had driven him out of her hold so many, many, _many_, storm seasons ago. He'd lost count a long time ago of how many storm seasons had passed since then. But she'd pushed him away to have his brother, and even then he did not begrudge her, they were social creatures, but he'd been grown, it was time to move on.

He'd been working on this for a while, slowly. Black pearls were hard to find, he'd even gone up several rivers that emptied into the sea around where he lived to find them all. He'd missed a few days at the docks for them, but whatever. He was carefully etching each one with a knife made from whale bone, and being very careful about it. Not that he was exactly bad at this, he just couldn't screw up because it was a fucking black pearl and he wouldn't find one of these again for a while without opening hundreds of shellfish.

He was making a necklace. For his human. His tail twitched thinking about it and he repressed his smile. He was almost done though, all that was left was to string it and his brother to give him that pendant. Malik wasn't good at carving bone, or really delicate work honestly, but he did his best. He felt the change in the water of his cave and his brother was pushing himself through the hole at the top of the cave, blocking out the light.

His little brother fell through the water down to him. He was nearly full grown now, his tail nearly as long as Malik, his skin strangely pale next to Malik's night black skin, and his face was almost entirely white, which was strange for their kind. Usually it was just markings, like Malik had, on their face and arms. "Hello brother!" Kadar called cheerfully and let his tail curl against his.

"Hello," Malik said, "Do you have that pendant?"

Kadar sighed, "Yes," and he reached into the small woven pouch on his hip. "Here," he said pulling out a thin disc made of bone. Malik took it with a thanks. "You going to tell me who it's for yet?"

"No," no one knew about his human. _No one_. Not even his little brother, who he told everything to. They were secret. He told himself it was so no one would steal his coins. He almost believed himself sometimes.

"Oh c'mon," Kadar whined and lay all over him, "Tell me," he whined.

"Kadar," Malik huffed and gave him a stern look. Kadar only pouted at him.

"Fine. Keep your stupid secrets. At least tell me they're pretty," because you would only make something as extravagant as the black pearl necklace Malik was making for someone you wanted to mate with. The thought was strange and he didn't dwell on it. He just wanted to give something back, since he knew coins had value to humans beyond simply being metal. His strings were expensive, even for humans.

Malik opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, but didn't say anything, closing it a final time and finished working on one of the last few beads.

"Malik?" Kadar prodded him.

He took a moment before saying, "They are."

Kadar just grinned and Malik kicked him out of his cave. He _did not_ have time for this.

—

It was a normal day. Malik was swimming deep under the docks, weaving in and out of the pillars, heading for their spot. The one where he'd get his coin, where his pretty human was waiting. They weren't _pretty_ really, but they had eyes like two of his copper coins, and a handsome face.

He surfaced out of sight, under the docks, if he looked up he could see his human's feet. "Please be here, I want to see you," they said and sounded upset. Malik frowned and when they dropped the coin, Malik grabbed it out of the air and moved a few feet out from under the dock. "You're here," they said when they opened their eyes, looking relieved. Malik blinked at him curiously. "I… came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" he asked. Why would he be going away?

"I'm leaving, to get married."

His confusion expanded ten-fold, "What is married?"

"Uhm… well," he said awkwardly. "It's where a man and a woman live together, I suppose, with a promise to not live with other men or women."

Malik cocked his head at him, "That's dumb," his human snorted, it was a laugh, he knew that.

"But… yeah," he said awkwardly. "I came to say goodbye, because I won't be able to come here anymore."

"Ever?" he asked, disappointed, he didn't _want_ his human to go away. They were _his_.

"I don't know. I might come back, my parents are still here," he shrugged, helplessly.

Malik looked at him, then at the coin in his hand. The man came every day, unless he was sick, and always gave him a coin. If he left he'd have no reason to come back and see him, why would he want to after all? He'd be with someone else. That hurt a lot more then it should have. So he'd have to give the man a _reason_ to come back. Malik could only think of one way on such short notice. He tugged at the long string of coins that he wrapped around his waist and tail and coiled it around his wrist loosely, before taking it off. The man would have to come back. He'd _have_ to. He offered his string to them.

"What? No, those are yours," he tried to protest.

Malik wasn't having _any_ of it. "I'll come back for them. Just be sure to come give them to me," he ordered and after a second the man nodded. He transferred the great string to him, the man kneeling on the dock to pick them out of his hand, briefly their hands touching. His human was very warm. He pulled his hand back quickly and fingered his new coin, he had to do something with it, plus there was his second, lesser, string. It was obvious they felt awkward taking the string from Malik, he pulled out his lesser string, the one with his gold coin, rings, and metal charms on it. "I'll keep these," and he saw him relax, just a but. He made a crude hole in the new coin and threaded it on the lesser string before securing it to his waist.

"Okay."

Malik smiled at him warmly, with his teeth, "I'll see you later," he promised and sank under the water. He waited until the man was gone before leaving.

—

The sun was amazingly hot. He was used to it now though. Before the water had always tempered the hot sun. But out in the air there was nothing like that. It was why he only came out of the water later in the day, when it wasn't so hot, and so he didn't burn and turn red as fire coral. He'd learned that hard way that the sun wasn't kind to his species.

He had place under the docks for clothes, because the first time people had stared at him when he'd wandered around mostly naked. Nothing fancy, just shorts, and a shirt, both he'd stolen off a clothes line.

Malik also came later in the day because that was _their_ time. He came here a lot, almost every day. His brother asked him where he went, his friends asked too. He didn't tell them. What was he supposed to say? That, somehow, he'd fallen in love with a human? They'd think something was wrong with him, he didn't want that. There was nothing wrong with him, he just… had different tastes, that was all.

After pulling on his clothes he scrambled up onto the docks. Sailors moved about, people rushing around, but he wasn't in a rush, not really. He had sort of given up. It had been several storm seasons, and he hadn't seen them _once_. But he kept coming, because he still had some sort of hope, he still wanted to believe they'd come back. So he took his time to navigate the docks to where the new addition was, where he used to wait for them, under the water, and pluck coins out of the sea as they drifted down to the mud.

He practically avoided the spot. He didn't want to be let down again. Eventually he just sucked it up and went, by now the sun had just set, the sky turning as dark as his sea skin, and the humans lit lamps. He could see just fine though, especially the man standing on the docks in as close to what _his_ spot was as humanly possible thanks to the new part of the dock. Malik frowned, he was going to shove that human into the water and eat them if they weren't who he thought they were.

Then he saw them hold their hand out and saw his string glitter in the lamp light. They were about to let go when he grabbed them, no need to go digging through the silt for it. "The hell!" they cried, turning to him. He had facial hair, that was funny. Malik wondered what it felt like. "Who are you?"

For a second his heart sank, then he remembered that _of course_ they wouldn't know him. All he knew was his sea skin. "I thought I'd save you the trouble is all," hoping that would jog his memory. "Thanks for keeping them safe," he said with a slight grin and he tugged his long string from the man's hands. They stared at him, and he knew they got it. "Surprised to see me?"

"You can do that?" they asked, sounding confused and surprised and Malik thought it was cute.

"I can do a lot of things. Including this," he'd freely admit- to himself- about doing this. Because he'd missed his human. But kissing them for real was entirely different then what he thought it would be like, especially with facial hair, which tickled his sensitive skin. "My name is Malik," he said, because they never _had_ been introduced, not eve. He almost didn't say, "I was very lonely without you," but he did, and was surprised by his own lack of brain to mouth filter.

They stared, shocked, and Malik just waited for an answer. He almost laughed at what they said, "I have a wife."

He grinned a little, "So? I don't mind sharing," he didn't, his kind shared everything, sometimes even including mates. He liked it when he blushed, Malik couldn't. Carefully he reached up and pressed his hand to the man's face, "Just don't go away again," he hoped he didn't sound as desperate and begging as he thought he did.

They just closed their eyes for a few moments, then he opened them. "Okay," he said. Malik smiled and kissed him again.


	3. Chapter 2

This ISN'T normal. I was taking requests on my blog and they asked for AltMal and mermaids. So... I just went with more of this AU cause w/e I like it =u=

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The entire thing was just a bit strange. Especially at first. He'd had to tell Maria about it because he couldn't just _not_ tell his wife about it anymore. She hadn't believed him. Of course not, he sounded like a_crazy person_ going on about mermaids and such. She said he needed help. He'd told her that wasn't going to happen because he _wasn't_ crazy, and then he'd proved it.

She hadn't been a fan of Malik's teeth at first. Still wasn't actually. But she didn't dislike him at least. She had at first, especially since Malik had no qualms touching Altair whenever he wanted and saw nothing wrong with what he was doing. Technically she was the one who'd taken Altair away from _him_ and he'd told her that.

In short. In had been a _very_ rocky start.

But that was behind them now. Thank goodness too!

It turned out Malik was good with children, he loved them actually and that was how he'd endeared himself to Maria. Darim thought he was cool and Sef wasn't old enough to be left unattended, but now it wasn't always on Maria while Altair was working. Malik was around and acted as an extra pair of hands to Maria so she wanted taking care of a two year old and a few month-old by herself. So that's how it'd worked out, and now Maria didn't mind (as much, though he still saw her give Malik a side eye sometimes) Malik touching him, or kissing him, though it'd taken her a while to get used to the idea of two men kissing.

He was working. He was always working. His family name was well known and he had his master's chain and was usually really busy. He couldn't help but be honestly and sometimes it was really annoying since he wanted to just sit down with his family and eat dinner with them.

Right now he was polishing an sapphire. It was going to go on a tiara for a noble's teenage daughter. It was the centerpiece of the thing and about as big as his thumbnail. The damn thing had cost a fortune too, let alone finding it and now shaped it was nearly flawless. He'd been working on it for days. Behind him the door opened near soundlessly.

"I'm busy," he said, not even looking. The door closed quietly again and he held the sapphire up to the window to catch the light

He started when a pair of hands slid around his shoulders. "I know you are," Malik said into his ear, his voice low and like a rumble, the crashing of waves against a cliff. He'd _never_ get over the sound of Malik's voice. "You work very hard," his phrasing was also always a bit off, and he nuzzled Altair's neck.

"Malik, I'm working."

"Know this," he rumbled. "Do not care," and those razor sharp, needle-like, teeth tugged on his ear lobe. He shivered. Maria didn't like Malik's teeth, and even after a while Altair was still sort of nervous of them (and maybe a little turned on too). He knew they could shred him in an instant if Malik was anything less then gentle. But he was. He was _always_ gentle, especially with Darim and Sef.

"Go play with Darim," he huffed.

"No, wanna play with you," Malik nuzzled him again and at some point his hands had gone from his shoulders to his waist and were sliding under his shirt.

"Malik," he sighed and finally put the sapphire down so he didn't _drop it_. Malik just rumbled against his neck, sounding like he was purring like a damn cat. "Malik," he said again, firmer.

"All work bad for you," Malik said kissing and licking his neck. Malik liked licking, a lot. Altair turned to him to say something but Malik just kissed him so he couldn't speak. He relaxed a bit where he sat against Malik and reached up to tug on his chin.

"I need to work," Altair said.

"No," he shook his head.

"You're going to be difficult about this won't you?" Malik's enthusiastic nod was enough to make him groan in frustration. "Fine," he said, "I'll take a break, but then you have to let me get back to work. Okay?"

"Okay," and then Altair was reminded very obviously of Malik's impressive strength when he pulled Altair's chair back, with him still in it, without even trying and then Altair found himself with a lap full of merman. Merman who currently had legs, but still a merman. "You're going to be gray soon," Malik informed him.

"No I'm not," knowing he meant his hair.

"Will if don't relax some," and then Malik kissed him again sweetly, his arms around his neck. Malik did that purring thing again, and Altair wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing him back.

Somehow they ended up on the floor and Altair forgot he was just 'taking a short break'. Later they were being woken up by Maria as she called to Altair through the door about dinner and Altair found himself in a pile of clothes, half dressed, his mermaid pressed up against him, smiling pleasantly into his bare chest, naked. He needed to stop letting Malik do this to him. He'd never get any work done like this!


	4. Chapter 4

so many requests for this AU omfg

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He and his brother both called Malik 'uncle'. Darim knew Malik wasn't really his uncle, he was too dark, and too weird, and had teeth full of steak knives. Sef was still too little to understand that their daddy was really a single child though and that 'uncle Mal-Mal' wasn't actually their uncle. Malik still loved them like they were related though. He called Darim 'little fish' and Sef was 'minnow'. Darim didn't know what a minnow was though, he assumed it was a fish.

It was also funny since Darim couldn't swim. His daddy said he had to learn though, just like he had. He knew sometimes his daddy went to the ocean, which was far away, and came back with pearls. He always went with their uncle, because uncle Mal-Mal was good at finding pearls. One day he'd go with his daddy to the ocean though, and help him find pearls, he was already learning how to make things, as his daddy let him have bits and pieces of things that 'weren't good' to toy with. He'd made his mommy a pretty necklace, but she didn't wear it much, she said she didn't want to lose it.

Today though he was going to learn how to swim. Uncle Mal-Mal had taken him and Sef to the lake because Sef needed to learn too, even though he was only five. Sef got to ride on Uncle Mal-Mal's shoulders as they walked down to the lake. There was no one there though, because everyone said monsters lived in the lake and only boats fished on it. It was a big lake too and he could only barely see the other side.

Uncle Mal-Mal wasn't afraid of the lake though. He wasn't afraid of anything, he wasn't a fan of the sun though… but that was okay because today it was a bit overcast. "Boys," Uncle Mal-Mal said and picked Sef up off his shoulders and set him on the beach, which was made of sand and smooth rocks. "Today you're going learn to swim."

"Okay," Darim said.

Uncle Mal-Mal told Darim to take off his shirt and shoes and helped Sef out of his own before he himself stripped down to nothing and then walked into the lake. When he was up to his waist he turned back to the two boys, "C'mon," he beckoned to them, "Water is good," and he smiled a smile without teeth. Darim knew his uncle only did so because his teeth scared Sef still, Darim always had thought uncle Mal-Mal's teeth were cool though. "Darim, help your brother," and he walked back further into the water.

Darim took Sef's hand and they walked into the water. The water was cool against his skin, but felt nice as it was hot out. Out in the water uncle Mal-Mal was splashing himself with water and had settled till he was almost up to his eyeballs, looking very pleased to be there. "Uncle?" Darim called.

"Yes?" uncle Mal-Mal replied, only lifting his head enough up to speak.

"Why isn't our daddy here too?"

Uncle Mal-Mal smiled, "Because I swim better then he," he said nicely. "Now come, there is nothing to be afraid of," he beckoned them away. Sef had already wandered deeper into the water, but he was little and was quickly coming up to his chest. Uncle Mal-Mal swam closer, as he did he slipped under the water and Darim watched him swim and then his eyes grew very big when his uncle's form grew long and black and when he surfaced he wasn't the same he'd been when he entered the water.

Sef screamed and splashed in the water back to him, clinging to his older brother. Darim was only about knee deep, staring at… whatever _it_ was. They were black and looked slippery, with no hair on their head at all and big, _big_, black eyes. There were a few white marks on their face as they lifted their head above the water, "I tell you," and it was uncle Mal-Mal's voice, "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Darim stared at him, mouth open, Sef was still clinging to him, "You're not… not like us."

"No," uncle Mal-Mal agreed, his voice rolling and long and deep. "I merfolk. I still your uncle Mal-Mal though," he said and gave them both his sweet, toothless, smile.

"Does daddy know?" Darim asked.

"Oh yes," and Darim had a feeling there was _a lot_ being unsaid there. "Now, swimming lessons," he beckoned to Darim and Sef. "It okay my minnow, it's just me," he cooed and before their eyes the black crawled off uncle Mal-Mal's face, showing his dark brown skin, and his dark eyes that had whites to them.

"Maaaal," Sef whined.

"Yes, me, c'mon little one," and he slid closer to them and Sef disengaged from Darim and uncle Mal-Mal collected him into his black arms, his face turning black and white marked again and his long, long, tail moved him further away from Darim.

After a moment Darim _did_ follow though. Malik was still their uncle, and still loved them, he was just… sort of different. He could handle that. And really who better to teach you how to swim then someone who was part fish?


	5. Chapter 5

so many requests for this AU omfg

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Altair was with Darim. He was old enough to start learning how to be a jeweler, like his father and grandfathers (both of them) and that meant less time for him to spend with Malik. Maria usually kept Sef close too, since he was still so small, so fragile still, all soft and thin boned like Malik himself was.

Really he was bored and knew better then to go bother Altair when he was with his son. He tolerated Malik usually, but not even he was with Darim or Sef. Altair didn't believe him when Malik told him he'd go gray soon, but he would. He was always so stressed out, Malik did his best to… relax him.

He was laying on the floor of his room. He had a separate one because while Maria tolerated _a lot_ she didn't intend to share her marriage bed. That was fine with Malik though, he didn't like beds, his room just had a tub in it instead for him, because he didn't do beds at all. The floor was wooden and comfortable enough anyway. There was a knock on the door as he fiddled with the big golden coin on his lesser string. Now he could get a new one if he wanted, but the one Altair had given him years ago was special, before Maria, before Altair's children. He'd never replace it.

"Come," he called, letting the big coin drop to the floor when the door opened.

"Oh good, there you are," Maria was standing in the doorway. She was pretty for a human, her figure rounded from children and soft. He liked snuggling next to her during the day nearly as much as her children, she said he was silly when he did that. But his kind weren't soft, they were all angles and hard, flat, surfaces, even their women. It was nice to have something soft.

"What?" he asked, and then his eyes tracked down to where she had Sef on her hip. "Do you need me to watch the minnow?" he asked her and touched his tongue to his numerous sharp teeth in his upper jaw.

Maria just shook her head, "No. Get up, we're going to the market. I need someone to carry the groceries," she said sweetly.

Malik just gave her a look from the floor, "So I'm pack animal now?" he huffed.

"But you're so strong Malik," she cooed, "And I can't do it with Sef," and she hefted her son on her arm.

Malik sighed and grabbed his lesser string before rolling to his feet. He fit his lesser string onto his belt, "Okaaaay," he huffed irritably, but not really upset.

"Thank you dear," Maria said when he got close and she gave him a kiss on the cheek nicely. He just followed after her as they left the house, not even bothering with shoes. At least he wasn't bored now.


	6. Chapter 6

One day he was going to learn to lock the doors of any room he went into. One day Altair _would_ learn this. Today was not this day though and he half scowled when the door opened and Malik positively _slithered_ into the bathroom. Malik could slither amazingly well too, he was a sea snake, he said at least. Apparently there were mermaids for lots of different types of sea creatures, Malik was a sea snake. And Altair believed him because what else was he going to do?

"You have no sense of privacy at all do you?" Altair asked him as _he_ locked the door behind him.

"I do," he said, "just different from yours," and his smile at Altair was toothy. Altair pouted at him and he wouldn't deny he watched with quite a bit of interest when Malik shed his clothing. He was fucking gorgeous under his clothes, all toffee colored skin and lean muscles and a narrow waist. He was also hairless, save for the hair on his head, which was… so weird honestly. But then mermaids had no use for hair he supposed. Altair had gotten used to it though.

He'd come in here to have a bath, by himself. Not if Malik had anything to say about it though apparently. The mermaid slid into the bath with him and pressed up against his chest, arms going around his neck. "Mine," he said.

"Maria would have something to say about that," he said, adjusting his legs so Malik could sit between them easier.

"Mine _first_," he said, drawing out the S a little, eyes narrowing slightly, and kissed Altair to make his point.

"You could have said something before I left," he reminded him, running a hand through Malik's night black hair.

"Would have mattered?"

"Mmm, perhaps not," he agreed. "And you like my sons."

Malik positively _purred_, "Yes. Minnow and little fishy," Altair chuckled. Malik laid his head on Altair's shoulder, tucking it up under Altair's chin. "It important for you to have children?" he asked.

"Yes."

He felt Malik's black eyes looking at him, "Why?"

"So we have a legacy, to continue our name."

"But only you have your name."

"It's different for humans," was really the only explanation.

Malik was quiet for a while, mostly curled up on his lap. Quiet meant he was thinking, especially because he had his hands to himself. Altair just tipped his head back on the high backed tub with a slight sigh, content to soak. "If it was so important I could have," Malik said suddenly.

"Hmmm?" Altair asked, glancing down at him.

"If children so important," Malik sat up, "I could have had them."

Altair stared at him, confused, bewildered and all the emotions to go with it, "Malik… you're a man."

"Right now," he agreed.

"Are you saying you weren't always one?" he shook his head, "…what?"

"I was born a girl. Nearly all of us are. I decided to be a boy."

"What?" was really all he could say.

Malik huffed, "You're stupid," he informed Altair.

"You're not making an sense to my human understanding, you have to explain, okay? It's not my fault."

"No, it isn't," Malik agreed and ran his hands down Altair's chest. "Merfolk are both. Male and female, at the same time, all the time. Outside looks different, but inside is always the same, and outside can change if we want, all we have to do is decide what we want."

There was a long silence as Altair processed that, "Oh," he said once he'd finally digested that. "So you could turn into a woman?" Malik nodded. "What is the point of that though? For you people."

"Men are stronger, can protect ourselves better as men since we're rather fragile. Most of us _are_ men, you won't see many women mermaids unless they're having children."

"So you turn into women when you want to have children," and Malik nodded. "Huh…"

"Bad?"

"No. Not bad just… huh. I never knew that." Then what Malik had said earlier caught up with him. "Wait, you said if it was just kids you would have been a girl."

"Yes," Malik didn't even blink.

"But you're a man."

He shrugged, "Makes little difference to me. I am what I am. It only strange to you. If I'd decided to show myself the first time as a woman you'd have never known I was any different, same as now."

"Maria wouldn't have let you have anything to do with me if you were a woman."

Malik growled and shifted so he was kneeling between Altair's legs and he looked down at Altair, hands on his shoulders, "I wouldn't have let her take you from me again," he hissed. "She lucky I share with _her_."

"Hey she's my wife."

"And your _my_ mate," he said pointedly. "Mine, first. She took you from _me_. I was in my right to kill her for taking you."

"I'm not a prize," Altair told him.

Malik relaxed, "No," he agreed, his hackles lowered and he slid back down against Altair. "But what she wants matters little to me," he said softly.

They said nothing more and Altair wrapped an arm around Malik's dark shoulder. The mermaid was content to just press against him, though he didn't look like a mermaid right now, all legs and brown skin. He tried for a second to imagine what Malik would look like as a woman, he couldn't do it. "Can humans and mermaids even breed?" he suddenly asked and didn't know _where_ that had come from. He hadn't even been thinking about it.

It surprised Malik too, "It's happened before," he said softly, drawing nonsense designs on his chest with his finger, not looking at Altair, suddenly seeming shy.

"And?"

"Depends on mother, who they take after."

Altair's mouth was moving entirely independent of his brain right now, "So they'd be like you?" Malik just nodded, "Huh."

Malik looked up at him with his big black eyes, "Maria would hate me wouldn't she?"

"If you suddenly became a girl and I got you pregnant? Oh yeah. The both of us."

Malik made that purring noise again, "I can live with that… if you want," he added.

"I not even going to go into it. That okay?" Malik chuckled. "I'm still trying to process that fact that you could become a girl."

"Mmmm," Malik nuzzled against his neck and jaw, "You would like me as one," he said softly. "There is a reason you have myths about us, and our women especially," and Altair flushed a little. Yeah he knew those, he knew Malik knew them too, as he'd seen him reading aloud with Darim, though Darim doing most of the reading as Malik couldn't read, about mermaids. Malik tipped his head up and nipped at Altair's jaw lightly.

"Hey, watch the teeth," he said, tipping his head back a little. Malik just grinned and pressed his face into his throat. Malik turned when there was a knock on the door. "What?" he called.

"Daddy, do you know where uncle Mal-Mal is?" Darim called through the door.

"I'm in here little fish," and Malik pushed away from Altair and gracefully rose to his feet and got out of the bath. He grabbed a towel to cover part of himself and Altair tried to imagine Malik with hips, honestly _that_ wasn't too hard since he had a bit girly hips because he was so lean and thin. Malik crouched as he opened the door a little and Altair could imagine his smile when he said, "And what are you doing little fish?"

"Come play with me," Darim said.

"Okay. What do you want to play?" Malik asked, standing and taking Darim's hand before leaving. He looked back at Altair as he closed the door.

"Hide and seek!"

"You'll have to let me get dressed first then-" and then the door was closed and Altair stared after it. He sighed and sank into the tub. He was in so much trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

Malik traced his fingers over what resembled a crown of leaves, only it was made of beaten golf, each leaf paper thin, immaculately made, and curved to fit the shape of a head. Berries made of tiny, uncut, and highly polished rubies decorated the leaves.

"Stop touching things," Altair said from where he was working at his table, back turned to Malik, the sound of pliers snipping filling the air.

"I wasn't," Malik said innocently and his hand darted away from the crown of golden leaves.

"Yes you were," Altair still wasn't looking at him and then he sat up, holding something up to the window to catch the light.

"Was not," Malik insisted and stepped away from the crown and went to look at something else. Altair workshop was filled with innumerable projects and designs, some just for show, some for commission, some to sell in the shop he had in the city. He mostly worked on commission though and let other jewelers rent space in his shop so they could have their names out there as selling from the same shop as Altair. His family was well known and Altair had his own reputation of working in gold, his father's was in pearls. He was one of the most sought after gold smiths and jewelers in the country and worked for upper nobility and the royal family.

"Yes you were," Altair said.

"You can't see me, you know not," Malik said slyly.

"I don't need to see you. Mermaids like shiny things and I don't know if you've noticed, but my workshop if full of shiny things," and Malik smiled to himself. Altair had a point there.

"I don't just like shiny though," Malik said as he slid his fingers across a tiara made of silver, one of his show pieces so people could see his skill in silver. Malik knew he didn't have it locked up, or anything here actually, because no one would steal from him. Malik wasn't quite sure _why_ they wouldn't, but he had a feeling it had to do with some of those rare and (sometimes) illegal gem stones that showed up for Altair to recut and then they vanished again. Malik didn't ask and Maria didn't know, probably the way Altair wanted it.

"Stop touching things Malik," Altair huffed.

"Fine," he frowned and left the edges of the workshop and Altair made a noise of protest when he went and sat in Altair's lap. "There, no touching any of the shinnies," he said, arms folded, pouting at him.

"Malik, I'm working," Altair said patiently.

"You want to work, or me no touch?" Malik asked him.

Altair sighed, "Both."

"One, or other," Malik said.

"Uhhhg," he groaned. "Fine. I need to work, off," and he pushed Malik off him, "Just don't break anything," he ordered.

"Never," Malik promised and kissed him on the cheek as he hopped off Altair's lap and went to poke around now that he'd been given permission. He opened some drawers but took nothing out, and found all sorts of things: rods of silver and gold, long chains some delicate and some not, of precious metal and boxes of gemstones. Malik wasn't interested in the gemstones. They were shiny yes, even more so than pearls, but they felt funny, too smooth and worked. Mermaids often chewed their own jewelry, like pearls, and gemstones felt funny in his mouth. Metal did too, but coin and jewelry metal was soft and bent when you chewed on it. Malik had lost a few of his coins on his strings from chewing them into shreds.

He came along a strange chain that looked like it had… bells on it? He picked it up and it jingled, it sounded pretty. He shook it and liked the sound. "Altair," he called. Altair grunted, "What is this?" he shook it again.

Altair twisted around from his work, "Put that down," he said.

"What is it though?"

"Malik," he said sternly, "put it down."

"Tell me."

"My father made it," and Malik nearly dropped it in his haste. Umar had fallen ill this year, too sick to continue working and probably wouldn't survive the next five years. But then he was old, and had had Altair later in his life to begin with.

"Sorry," Malik said, "What is it?"

"A wedding chain for my mother," he said. Oh. No wonder he hadn't been happy to see Malik holding it, since Altair's mother had died a few years ago. "It's tradition from my mother's culture for her new husband to give her a bell before their wedding day so he can hear her when she comes to marry him. My father made her an entire chain," he seemed fond of the sentiment, and smiled.

Malik looked at the chain with the little bells in the drawer and closed it with his hip and found himself back in Altair's lap, "I want one," he said.

"What?" Altair rose his brows at him.

"I want a chain of bells. They sounded pretty," Malik smiled at him.

"Malik-

"Please," he said.

Altair sighed, "Okay," and Malik beamed at him. "I'm really busy though so I won't make you a full one like that, it's supposed to go around the waist," Malik nodded. He said nothing while Altair looked like he was thinking about what to do probably before taking one of his measuring tapes, he had several, for heads and wrists and waists and fingers and any other part and lifted Malik's leg up, wrapping it around his ankle and then gave it some slack. He wrote the number down, though Malik didn't look, he didn't understand numbers really and didn't need or want to. "Go get me your string."

"What? Why?"

"You want your chain?"

"Yes."

"Then bring me your string," and Altair had that look on his face that made it clear he would say no more. Frowning Malik got off him and went to his room, which was empty save for the tub he slept in, and a few boxes on shelves. He opened the one with his string inside and pulled it out. While Malik was strong it was heavy out of the water, so he usually kept it in here and carried around his shorter string that had all the rings and pendants on it as well as the big golden coin.

"Here," Malik said, laying his string down on the work table when he got back, sliding back into Altair's lap when the man tugged him there.

"Good," Altair said and kissed him on the bottom lip, Malik fought against a smile and won, but just barely. "Just one more," he reached up to Malik's mouth, "thing," he said running his thumb along Malik's lower lip. Malik's lips parted and he swallowed when Altair pressed his fingers inside his mouth and up against his numerous, sharp teeth. Malik had twice as many in his head as Altair did and they were narrow and sharp as knives, and he was always very careful with them because he didn't want to hurt Altair by accident.

Altair took one one of Malik's teeth between his thumb and middle finger, "Hold still," he said and then pulled down hard. There was no pain when Altair yanked the tooth out of Malik's head, they weren't rooted and he'd just replace them in a week or so. Many young mermaids made their first beads out of their own teeth as they came out so easily when they were small so it meant nothing for Malik to lose teeth or for someone to actually pull them out. Altair put the tooth on the work table and Malik opened his mouth wider, now knowing what Altair was doing, when he went to take another. "One more," he said on the third and Malik waited patiently, mouth open and Altair pulled out the last tooth.

Malik ran his tongue along his teeth when Altair was finished, feeling the gaps. "What are you going to do with them?"

"You'll see," Altair promised with a smile and kissed Malik again, this time on the mouth. Malik wrapped his arms around Altair's shoulders when Altair pushed his tongue into Malik's mouth and for some reason shivered when Altair ran his tongue briefly across the gaps in Malik's mouth before moving on to kiss him properly.

—

It was nap time, simple as that. He'd just gotten done playing with the boys, running around and Malik was _exhausted_. So he'd climbed into his tub-bed and decided on a nap. His long tail was all curled and twisted up around at the other end, just able to properly fit in it (Altair kept promising to get him a bigger one but Malik said it was fine) and the water was cool and felt good against his skin.

Something disrupted the surface tension of the water and Malik was awake immediately. He looked up and saw Altair's face peering down at him from the top of the water and Malik rubbed his eyes of the mucus they secreted to help protect them when they slept and rose to the surface. He looked at Altair's tiredly.

"Have a nice nap?" Altair asked, rubbing Malik's bald, black skinned, head. He hummed, enjoying the attention Altair gave him and knew that Altair wasn't scared of his true form.

"Yes," he said, putting his mouth above the surface just enough to speak.

"Good. Give me a leg," he said.

"Huh?"

"I need one of your feet, c'mon," and frowning Malik let the black skin recede in favor of brown. He twisted in the tub a little to prop one of his legs out of the water, but didn't feel like getting up.

Altair grabbed his ankle and lifted it up, putting the heel of his foot on his chest and pulled something from his pocket and a moment later Malik had something being put on his ankle. When Altair removed his hands Malik could see what it was. It was a thin golden chain, with little folded bells on it that he saw weren't _really _bells but still jingled when when moved. He immediately folded his leg back to himself to look at it. Upon closer inspection he saw that the little folded bits of metal were in fact coins!

"These are from my string," Malik said.

Altair chuckled, "Yep. I have Darim help me with them," he said with a smile.

Malik climbed out of the tub, his new chain jingled when he stepped onto the floor and he kissed Altair deeply, arms going around him. "It's wonderful," Malik said, nearly against his mouth, he kept tapping his foot gently on the floor to hear the bells.

"That's going to drive me insane," Altair grumbled.

Malik laughed, "I already drive you insane," he breathed and kissed him again, not like Altair would bother to deny it though. Altair slid one arm around his waist, pulling Malik flush to him and getting his front damp from Malik's wet skin, the other cupping the back of his neck.


	8. Chapter 8

Malik slid into the kitchen. Normally he wasn't allowed in here, and he had no reason to go in here anyway. Malik didn't eat cooked food, he didn't like it and his stomach wasn't designed to handle it. So usually he just stayed away from the kitchen.

But he was always slightly curious about it. Like how did one actually _cook_ food? Why? He thought it smelled good, but he didn't like the taste of it, or that it was so hot. What did Maria do to make food that smelled like that yet taste so gross? Well, gross to him, he knew Altair and the boys all liked her cooking.

The kitchen was empty when he went in and he started poking around. He had a sensitive nose and followed it to the strange smells in here. He opened a jar with some strange white powder and sniffed it, he ended up sneezing and making the powder fly everywhere. No sooner did he do that but the kitchen door opened to a, "I'm making lunch Darim, stop whining."

Uh oh. He was in trouble.

He was still holding the jar when Maria came in looking very guilty about the whole thing and getting the powder all over. "Uh…"

Maria gave him a look, "Malik, what are you doing with my flour?"

"Flower?" he asked, confused, "This isn't a flower."

"Not flower, flour," she said patiently.

"That's what I said, flower."

"No. Flour."

"I just said that," and he wondered if Maria was teasing him.

"No you said flower."

"I said that!" he cried.

She sighed and went over to the counter which was covered in flour. "Flower," and she traced her finger in the flour spelling it though she knew he couldn't really read, "like the plant. And flour," and she spelled that too, "is that," she pointed at the jar, "wheat crushed into a powder," and even though he couldn't read it he now got the difference. They were said the same way but they were talking about two entirely different words, the visual word helped him get it.

"Oh," he said.

"Now give me that before you make more of a mess," she huffed and took the jar away from him and put it back. He tried to sneak away, "Hold it," she said sharply and he stopped. She pulled out a small towel, "Come here," she ordered and he presented himself to her. "You're covered in it like a ghost," she tutted and wiped off his face with the towel on the side of gentle.

"Oh," he said again, "thanks."

"Honestly you make a mess like my boys," she informed him, clearly not upset as she dusted him off.

"Sorry," he said sincerely. He did want Maria to like him after all, even though she'd married Altair, who was Malik's _first_. But Altair liked her so Malik made himself like her and he wanted her to like him since she saw him as an intruder as much as he did her. She'd blown a lid the first time she'd seen Malik kiss Altair though and Altair hadn't been happy at either of them and made to sleep in his workshop for a week. But that had been a while ago. They got along, but he still knew Maria wasn't _quite_ all on board with this, though she didn't freak when they kissed. Altair wisely kept the other things they did from her until she was ready to handle it. He didn't blame her though, apparently if was weird in their culture for men to be together. For Malik's it was weird if men _weren't_ together because there were so few women. Hell, his own mother was a man most of the time.

"It's okay," she said and ruffled his hair to dislodge the last of the flour. "There. Now, what were you in here for?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I just wanted to know how you cooked things," he admitted because he had no reason or actual practice in lying. The main lie he told was about Altair to Maria, that all he did was kiss the other man. But that was more that Maria didn't ask because she assumed nothing was happening. Malik didn't freely give the information either.

"That all? Malik you could have asked."

"But you said the kitchen was off limits."

"To my _children_," she said. "Unless you're one of those now?" and she looked at the flour covered counter.

"Nope," Malik said with a straight face.

"That's what I thought. Now, help me clean this up, and I'll show you."

"Really?" he tried not to sound _too_ excited.

"Yes."

"Just tell me what to do," he said with a grin, though kept his teeth to himself. Maria smiled back at him.


	9. Chapter 9

Malik picked Sef up from where he was waking up from his nap. He wriggled as he woke and Malik held him to his chest neatly. "Mal-Mal?" he asked with a yawn.

"Yep," he said cheerfully.

"Is mommy better yet?" he whimpered.

"No minnow, I'm sorry," he rubbed Sef's back gently. That's why he'd been put down for a nap. He'd wanted to see Maria, but she was sick and none of them were allowed to see her save for Altair and the doctor.

"I want mommy," he whined.

"Shhh," he cooed, "it's okay my minnow. We're ganna have a story."

"Story?" he asked and wiped his eyes.

"Mhmm," Malik nodded and sat on the sofa. Darim was already there with the book. Malik couldn't read, his brain couldn't make sense of the symbols, clearly he'd started trying to read to late and it was beyond him. But Darim could read. He set Sef on his thigh and Darim crawled between his legs too.

They were both worried about Maria. A sickness had visited the kingdom. It was slow going though and only took the young or elderly, sometimes a young person got it, but it was rare. Maria was just unlucky. As such Malik and the children weren't allowed near her for though Malik was an adult he didn't have the immune system to fight such a virus and he was no better than a child. So that left Altair to help Maria and Malik to keep the boys from going wild.

"What story?" asked Sef, he was five, and Darim was seven.

"Mmmmm," Darim opened the book and flipped to a page. It was a book full of mermaid fairy tales that Altair had bought Darim when Malik had first shown himself to the boys and taught them to swim. Darim was _obsessed_ with mermaids and until Maria had gotten sick hadn't been able to stop and breathe sometimes he had so many questions for Malik. Obviously the stories in the books were rarely like real mermaids, but they got parts right. "The Mermaid of Zennor?" he asked his brother.

"Is it a good one?"

"I think so," Darim nodded.

"Okay," and Sef leaned against Malik's chest.

Darim cleared his throat and started to read. "The village of Zennor lies upon the windward coat of Corwell. The houses cling to the hillside as if hanging there by the wind and waves still lick the ledges in the coves and a few fishermen still set out to sea in their boats. In times past, the sea was both the be-beginning and the end for the people of Zennor.

"It gave them fish for food and fish for sale, and made a wavy road to row from town to town. Hours were ree-reckoned not by clocks but the rise and fall of the ties and the months and years ticked by with the herring runs.

"The sea took from them too and often wild, sudden storms would rise and fish and fishermen alike would be lost in the angry sea. At the end of a good day when the sea was calm and each boat had returned with its share of fish safely stowed in the hold the people of Zennor would go up the path to the old church and give thanks," he paused here, "Mal-Mal, what's a church?"

Malik looked at Darim, looked at Sef, and then looked back at Darim, "I have no idea," he shrugged.

"Huh," Darim bit his lip a moment before continuing. "The chore? Chour? Chore," and he nodded, Malik wasn't sure it was right but he didn't know any better himself, "would sing and after the closing hymn the families would go. Now in chore that sang the Even—song there was the most handsome lad named Mathew and not only was he handsome to the eyes but his singing was sweet to the ears as well; his voice pealed out louder than the church bells and each note was clear and true. It was always Mathew who sang the closing hymn.

"Early one evening when all the fishing boats bobbed at anchor and all the families were in church and all the birds in their nests and even the waves rested themselves and came quietly to shoe something moved softly in the twilight. The waves parted without a sound and from deep beneath them some creature rose and climbed out onto a rock there in the cover of Zennor. It was both se creature and a she-creature. Though she looked to be a girl where her legs should be was a long shiny, silver, tail. It was a mermaid, one of the daughters of Llyr, king of the ocean-

"Uncle Mal-Mal?" Sef interrupted.

"Yes minnow?" he asked.

"That story is wrong," he said firmly.

Malik chuckled, "Yes it is," he agreed. "But not everyone knows what mermaids really look like like you do," and he gently ruffled Sef's hair.

"Are there girl mermaids Mal-Mal?" Darim asked.

"Yes. Not very many though."

"What about Llyr?"

He chuckled again, "Mermaids have no kings. Keep going Darim."

"Right," and he swallowed and cleared his throat again. "One of the daughters of Llyr, king of the ocean and her name was Mo-Morv-ren-Morver-Morveren?" he looked at Malik who just shrugged again, it was no name he'd ever have a mermaid take, but he did not know all mermaids. "Morveren sat upon the rock and looked at herself in the quiet water and the combed all the little crabs and seashells from her long, long, hair-

"Mermaids don't have hair!" Sef practically screamed indignantly. Malik laughed. "This story is stupid," he claimed.

"It's fine," Malik said gently. "I have hair right now, see," and he showed the top of his head to Sef.

"Not in the water you don't. Or have a silver tail," he frowned.

"Yeah, I thought mermaids were dark colored," Darim said.

"Well first off, some of us do have silver skin and tails, and two, it's s story written by someone who has _clearly_ never seen a mermaid before," he reminded them both. "Now. Story," he pointed at the book.

Darim shot a look at his brother and then looked back down at the book, "Okay where was- oh, here. As she combed she listened to the murmur of the waves and wind and bornee on that wind was Mathew's singing. 'What breeze is there that blows such a song?' Morveren. But then the wind died and Mathew's song with it. The sun disappeared and Morveren slipped beneath the water to her home.

"The next evening she came again, but not to the rock. This time she swam closer to shore, the better to hear. Once more Mathew's voice carried out to sea and Morveren listened. 'What bird sings so sweet?' she asked and looked all about, but darkness had come and her eyes only saw shadows.

"The next day Morveren came even earlier and boldly she floated right up to the fishermen's boats. When she heard Mathew's voice she called 'What reed is there that pipes such music?' there was no answer save the swishing of the water round the skiffs. Morveren would and must know more of the sining.

"She pulled herself up on the shore itself and from there she could see the church and hear the music pouring from its open doors. Nothing would do then but she must peek and-"

Darim cut off when the door to the master bedroom opened. Everyone looked as Altair left the room looking very tired and closed the door quietly. He felt them looking at him and looked back. "Excuse me," he said, not meaning to interrupt.

"Darim was reading us a story. Would you like to join us?" Malik asked.

Altair looked a moment away from refusing, but instead he nodded and walked over to them. Malik shooed Darim out of his lap as Altair didn't bother sitting on the little couch and sat on the ground between Malik's knees. "What's the story?" he asked.

"The Mermaid of Zennor," Darim said.

"Ah, that one. I know that one," Altair sighed. Altair had told Malik that like Darim he'd become interested in mermaids after the first time he'd seen Malik, and read everything he could. Unlike Darim though he had no one to ask all his questions of, only stories and fairy tales. "She get to the church yet?"

"Not yet," Malik said and ran his fingers through Altair's hair gently.

"Daddy, what's a church?" Darim asked.

"It's like a mosque," Altair said one of his hands going to wrap around Malik's chained ankle. "Only for different people, who worship a different god then Allah."

"Oh," Darim nodded, half understanding since Altair did not worship and Maria did so sparingly. But Darim knew what a mosque was.

"Lets hear the rest, yeah?" Altair asked and leaned his head against Malik's thigh.

"Okay," Darim nodded again. "Uh… I was right… here! Nothing would do then but to peek in and learn for herself who sang so sweetly-" Darim continued as Malik kept running his fingers through Altair's hair in silent comfort. He felt Altair playing with the little bells on his anklet and heard their gentle jingle. He didn't ask how Maria was feeling, as Altair still looked like he'd just been hit by several large hammers. She was still sick and that was all Malik needed to know. He didn't wish that upon her though and hoped she got better.

They listened to the story and by the time Darim finished it with, "There are ones who say Mathew sings yet to those that will listen," Altair was asleep against Malik's leg. Altair hadn't slept much since Maria had fallen ill though so Malik did not blame him.

"Darim," Malik said, "your daddy's sleeping. Take Sef and go find something quiet to do," and he lifted Sef off his knee and put him on the ground.

"Okay," Darim said and took Sef's hand, pulling him away from the sofa. Malik smiled after them and Sef waved as he followed after his big brother. Once they'd gone Malik hoisted Altair up with only a bit of trouble and laid him out on the sofa.

Altair's eyes opened blearily. "Hmm?" he asked, "Story time is over?"

Malik smiled, "Yes, I'm sorry to say," Malik said and smooth his hand along Altair's face.

"Oh. I missed it."

"It's okay," Malik said gently. "You sleep, okay? I'll wake you up in a little while."

"Mmm, you going to cook?"

"You trust me to do so?" Malik teased, since Maria had taught him. But it was hard to cook when Malik didn't actually like the taste of any of it, he just liked the smell, and so did any cooking both under Maria's eye and by smell alone.

"You won't poison us at least," Altair said and looked ready to fall asleep again.

Malik chuckled. "No, I won't," he agreed and made to get up from the sofa.

"No," Altair said, grabbing the hem of his shirt, "Stay."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," and Malik slid back down. After a few moments they moved so Malik was sitting and Altair had his head in Malik's lap. He fell asleep just like that shortly after, Malik played with his hair.

* * *

**_Review note_**

Asking me to update** will not i**ncrease the likely hood of updates **at all**. This story is updated strictly based on requests and so telling me to update does nothing but make me frustrated that you people can't read.


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